Tag Archives: health care

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the St. Paul school district will make all public schools “sweet-free zones” by the end of the school year. Opponents of the plan say “there is little proof such policies work” and that “it’s a school’s role to teach — not force — students to eat healthy.”

The school district’s unproven and experimental anti-obesity crusade is being fueled by “a series of state and federal grants, the largest of which will end this school year.”

Agree or disagree with St. Paul Public Schools’ crusade to rid all “sweet, sticky, fat-laden [and] salty treats” from kids’ lunchboxes and cafeteria trays?

Contact Superintendent Valeria S. Silva if you think parents, not bureaucrats, should determine what’s best for their own children to consume in school cafeterias:

Michelle Malkin just released her “Big Nannies of the Year” list and Reason.tv recently held its annual red carpet ‘awards gala.’ Find out who made the cut and let us know if a notorious nanny state nincompoop has been overlooked.

Overlawyered.com’s Walter Olsen hits another one out of the ballpark today with his commentary in The Washington Times spotlighting the “growing aggressiveness of ‘public health’ officialdom in pushing scare campaigns about everyday consumption risks:”

The Puritans held that reminders of mortality had an edifying effect on the living, which is why they sometimes would illustrate even literature for young children with drawings of death’s-heads and skeletons. Something of the same spirit seems to animate our ever-advancing movement for mandatory public health. The Food and Drug Administration has just floated the idea of requiring cigarette packs to carry rotating pictures that would include corpses – yes, actual corpses – as well as close-ups of grotesque medical disorders that can afflict smokers.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s superactivist Health Department has begun public ad campaigns about the health risks of everyday foods, including a controversial YouTube video portraying soda drinkers as pouring globs of shimmery yellow fat into their open mouths and – just out – an ad showing an innocent-looking can of chicken-with-rice soup as bursting with dangerous salt. Whether or not you live in New York, you’re likely to be seeing more of this sort of thing because the mayor’s crew tends to set the pace for activist public-health efforts nationwide; the Obama administration, for example, picked Bloomberg lieutenant Thomas R. Frieden to head the influential Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Why should government use our own tax dollars to propagandize and hector us about the risks of salted snacks, chocolate milk or the other temptations of today’s supermarket aisle? The Bloomberg-Obama camp seems to feel that government dietary advice is superior to other sources of information we might draw on because (1) it’s more objective, independent and pure of motive and (2) it can draw on better science …

Our honorees were carefully selected based on their nasty habit of disregarding the will of the people and allowing their arrogance, greed and desire to control the people command their actions and agendas.

Does trampling on citizens' rights and liberties count as "torture," Eric?

1. Eric Mar | San Francisco Supervisor (D)* – Leading the city’s now infamous assault on children’s beloved Happy Meal toys, incumbent Supervisor Mar has also been busy in recent months trying to regulate citizen’s intake of soft drinks. “I’m proud that we protect the public’s health,” Mar says, even if he uses shoddy data to force his radical anti-choice agenda down the throats of citizens both young and old. When Mar’s not telling citizens what they can’t eat and drink, he can be seen pressuring pet stores to quit selling dogs and cats. *Mar’s not running for office right now, but it looks like he has his eyes on becoming the city’s next mayor. Don’t forget about him. And, trust us, we won’t let you.

Proud to be a jackass legislating in her own special interests.

2. Rep. Eileen Cody | Wash. State House (D-Seattle) – Washington State’s longest serving legislator is also its most predictable anti-tobacco foe, stopping at nothing to ensure smokers quit offending her. Earlier this year, Cody sponsored HB 2493 in a last ditch effort to tax cigarettes in to oblivion. “I really don’t care,” Cody said, about the potential for the state to actually lose tobacco sin tax revenue because cigarettes would no longer be affordable for most Washingtonians to purchase; her top priority, she proudly proclaims, is to “force people to quit smoking.”

Don't be fooled by Martin's 'family friendly' marketing schtick.

3. Grier Martin | N.C. House (D-34) — Earlier this year, Martin was influential in passing a statewide ban on chocolate milk and juice products at child care facilities. Ironically, he says parents “can cram [their kids] with ice cream, sweets, 50-percent-fat milk, anything they want” after they get home from day care, perhaps as a symbol of goodwill between the nanny state and parents. Here’s our warning to concerned voters: Don’t accept candy from strangers and don’t think for a moment that Martin isn’t interested in ultimately controlling every aspect of your children’s lives from the cradle to the grave.

No tax is too sweeping or absurd for Basnight and Hackney.

4 & 5. Marc Basnight | N.C. Senate (D) and Joe Hackney Speaker | N.C. House of Representatives (D) – These two big government bureaucrats colluded in 2008 to propose a revenue-generating scheme that would monetarily penalize motorists for driving too much. Family vacations and weekend getaways, if vehicles’ owners were already over the limit, would warrant a “Vehicle Miles Traveled” tax to compensate the state for needlessly clogging roadways.

6. Dean Florez | Calif. Senate Majority Leader (D) – Florez has a knack for citing alarming nationwide statistics to boost the credibility of his statewide anti-soda crusade. Perhaps, that’s because he is a puppet of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), who Florez even admits are the soda tax bill’s “sponsors.” While the CCPHA describes itself as a “nonpartisan” public health organization, its Board of Directors includes The Huffington Post’s Joel Epstein, a partisan journalist who makes no efforts to inform readers of his affiliation with the organization he advises in its ongoing war against consumers and the beverage industry. One thing is certain: Neither Florez nor his CCPHA cronies trust citizens to make the ‘right’ choices when it comes to the food and beverages they consume.

'Reality' is a lost concept in Hieftje's big head.

7. John Hieftje | Mayor, Ann Arbor, Mich. (D) – DailyKos.com, the virtual mouthpiece of the radical Left, calls Ann Arbor “one of the most liberal cities in the U.S.” And, by their account, “Mayor John Hieftje is doing a good job,” so that should be reason enough to include him on our “Least Wanted” list. According to his campaign website, Hieftje boasts, “I led City Council in setting the policy for the complete re-organization of the City bureaucracy, now saving taxpayers over $15 million per year.” As A2Politico.com’s Margaret Wong points out, Hieftje reduced staff, but wages increased. “We’re paying more for less,” Wong reveals. “We’re getting less for more.”

Squeaky clean good looks can be deceiving.

8. Greg Fischer | Mayoral Candidate, Louisville, Ky. (D) – When Greg Fischer announced in late September that he would make his administration “the most open, honest and transparent in the nation,” he probably wasn’t expecting anyone to take him to task on that promise before he got elected. A few short weeks later, citizen watchdogs and even the local media were raising concerns about an emerging ‘pay-to-play’ scandal in which Fischer allegedly offered “a position of influence in city government” in exchange for the endorsement of a third party opponent who quit the race.

9. Vince Gray | Mayoral Candidate, Washington, D.C. (D) — According to Gray’s campaign website, “We need a mayor who will focus on the entire birth-to-24 education process.” If you think that sounds like another big government cradle-to-the-grave entitlement program, you’re right! Gray’s education plan includes all of the trendy code words you’ve come to expect from “community organizers” like President Obama and ‘progressive’ leaders like House Speaker Pelosi who think they can solve all of our problems, even if we don’t want their help! Want a “community buy-in” with “community as a part of the solution” to your child’s educational pursuits? How about making learning “sustainable?” Let’s not forget that everyone’s going to be “valued and empowered!” And, top it all off with some “accountability” and Gray claims there’ll be no more “bureaucracy” in D.C. Public Schools. But first, you must elect Gray so you can see what’s really in his education plan.

Mahan is a 'go along to get along' big government bureaucrat who can't be trusted to legislate in the people's best interests.

10. Patricia Mahan | Mayor, City of Santa Clara, Calif. (D) – Mayor Mahan has remained silent on Santa Clara County’s recently enacted ordinance banning toys in children’s Happy Meals, but the fact remains that parents residing in her city remain affected by the county’s nanny state crackdown on their freedom to determine what their children consume. According to the City of Santa Clara’s website, “Santa Clara is a family oriented and business friendly city, with an award-winning ethics program and a commitment to fostering public trust.” If Mahan won’t stick-up for families and businesses that are being treated unfairly in her city, then she must support nanny state bureaucrats like Supervisor Ken Yeager who feel entitled to dictate how and what parents feed their own children.

Nancy left her heart in San Francisco and brought back a souvenir from the Folsom Street Fair.

1. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif. | CD 8)– Not content with allowing Americans to even sample the health care bill before shoving it down their throats, Pelosi told us, “[W]e have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.” That so-called “fog” and “controversy” were citizens demanding transparency and accountability from Pelosi – and, by her account, we were simply asking too much. It’s time to revoke Pelosi’s license to prescribe cradle-to-the-grave entitlements that the majority of Americans do not want.

"Freddie who? Fannie what?"

2. Barney Frank (D-Mass. | CD 4) – When revelations began coming to light in 2003 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were going to cause the housing bubble to burst, Frank adamantly defended his longstanding belief that home ownership is a ‘God-given right’ for all Americans, even if they were unemployed or couldn’t afford their mortgages. “These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis,” he told The New York Times on Sept. 11, 2003. ”The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.” Flash-forward to 2009 when the bubble blew-up in his face, and we see Frank calling for the prosecution of those who caused the housing meltdown. Got hypocrisy? Better yet, got a mirror?

"Bilge Pump" Betsey celebrates her 19th bailout vote.

3. Betsey Markey (D-Colo. | CD 4) – Promoting herself as an anti-big government Blue Dog Democrat, Markey has marched lockstep with Speaker Pelosi in voting for 19 bailouts costing taxpayers “trillions in deficit spending.” Ironically, back home in her district, she’s been running ads telling voters Wall Street bailouts “really offend” her: “Bailout is just another word for cop-out … And here in Colorado, that’s not how we do business,” she says in one TV ad.

Concise and to the point.

4. Chris Smith (R-N.J. | CD 4) – Smith, a 14-term incumbent, rode in to Congress on the coattails of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and should be ushered out on Speaker Pelosi’s broom on Nov. 2. When he’s not voting to tax the air we breathe and gases we release, Smith’s padding his pockets with big labor union money, most likely in exchange for the nearly $24 million in earmarks he’s made to contributors in FY 2010.

How about we join together and vote you out of office?

5. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H. | CD 1)– During a candidate forum on Sept. 27, the incumbent informed voters that no corporation should be “too big to fail,” then touted her support for the nearly $20 billion bailout of General Motors. Pressed to identify at least one small business that she has assisted during her 2 terms in office, she refused, citing “privacy concerns.” Folks, this is our money and she can’t refuse to tell us how it’s being used or misused.

Bill took half of the girls profits.

6. Bill Keating (D-Mass. | CD 10 [OPEN SEAT])– A few short months ago, Keating opposed a wind farm project that would cost taxpayers billions, but once his primary race started heating-up, he changed his position. Now, Keating has the endorsement of the state’s leading labor unions that smell a big payday ‘blowing in the wind.’ That’s just the cost of doing business with big government bureaucrats like Keating. On Nov. 2, make sure you’re not held responsible for repaying Keating’s favors to the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103.

John skips the teleprompter and just lets Nancy Pelosi whisper in his ears.

7. John Boccieri (D-Ohio | CD 16)– This cold-hearted coal country Democrat supported the National Energy Tax that’s poised to kill 100,000 jobs in Ohio alone, then he leant his signature to the HIRE Act that does little, if anything, to reduce the state’s 9.7 percent unemployment rate. And, these are just two examples of Boccieri following Speaker Pelosi’s marching orders.

As always, Nancy leads her lapdog, Stenny.

8. Steny Hoyer (D-Md. | CD 5) – Hoyer, a 15-term incumbent and Speaker Pelosi’s chief lapdog, believes that the Constitution allows big government bureaucrats the right to do whatever they please, so long as actions are made in the spirit of promoting “the general welfare.” And, when it comes to forcing Americans to purchase so-called “affordable” healthcare, Hoyer says, “I think clearly this is within our constitutional responsibility.”

Upton's so environmentally friendly that he just rolls to work in a tire.

9. Fred Upton (R-Mich. | CD 6) – This RINO has cast way too many votes enabling Speaker Pelosi and her boss, President Obama, to bankrupt America by any means necessary. On top of that, Upton’s an environmental wingnut who Democrats say is “someone they can work with on energy and climate issues.” Thanks to Fred and his friends across the aisle, beginning in 2012, old-fashioned light bulbs will be phased-out and replaced with those super-expensive ‘energy-efficient’ bulbs. Despite co-sponsoring the light bulb ban, Upton’s now trying to downplay his involvement the bill’s passage.

Tom's displays his ability to screw with ease.

10. Tom Perriello (D-Va. | CD 5)— The very same economic crash that left 10,000 citizens in Virginia’s 5th congressional district unemployed is what Perriello credits for carrying him to victory in 2008. Over the course of his first term in office, Perriello has talked a big game about putting people in his district back to work, but the only firm numbers he can offer are based on promises and speculation from businesses that are either under construction or yet to be built. “Instant gratification,” he tells jobless voters, “is part of what got us into this place.”

1. Mike Beebe (D-Ark.) – Incumbent Mike Beebe has proposed more than $10 billion worth of tax-and-spend legislation since launching his career as a professional politician in 1982. Mike’s plan for putting the Arkansas’ more than 100,000 unemployed citizens back to work: None. In March 2009, the State borrowed more than $390 million from the Federal Unemployment Account (FUA) to cover future unemployment claims. Considering only $60 million has been repaid, that should ensure big government continues to play a role in citizens’ lives for at least the next few years.

Don't mistake this bobble head's nodding for giving a damn.

2. Jerry Brown (D-Calif.) – During an interview with CNN in 1992, Brown readily admitted lying to voters was a strategy he used to win his first term as California’s governor (1975-1979). Asked by CNN, “You said you had a plan for California and you lied because you didn’t have a plan,” Brown candidly replied, “You say you’re going to lower taxes, you’re going to put people to work, you’re gonna improve the schools, you’re going to stop crime … crime is up, schools are worse, taxes are higher. I mean be real!” More recently, he reiterated that “being governor is a pain in the ass,” just to give you a feeling for how much he’s looking forward to governing in the people’s best interests, if elected, of course.

It's going to take more than a cold shower to wake-up this 'rock' star.

3. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) – Hickenlooper traded his job as a rock-digging geologist for a career as a gold-digging politician in 2003 when he became Mayor of Denver. Over the past 7 years, he’s signed over $290 million in to law and even established a charitable organization to benefit the same anarchists whose threats to disrupt the 2008 Democratic National Convention “cost the city and federal taxpayers tens of millions in added security measures.”

Jamming the system is what Barnes does best.

4. Roy Barnes (D-Ga.) – Two separate incidences of personal financial mismanagement should make voters question whether Barnes is capable of leading Georgia down the road to economic recovery. A so-called “accounting error” was recently blamed for claiming a tax break on a home he didn’t even own. That blunder was followed by a request for a $30,000 refund from a failed bank in which he invested, reports BigGovernment.com’s Dan Riehl.

Pat celebrates Flag Day.

5. Pat Quinn (D-Ill.) – The State of Illinois continues to bury itself in more than $5 billion in debt while only making $1.4 billion in spending cuts, yet incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn has rewarded his fellow big government bureaucrats with handsome pay raises of up to 20 percent. It’s something Quinn likes to call “shared sacrifice.”

"Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash."

6. Chet Culver (D-Iowa) – The incumbent is fond of saying, “Iowans are at their best when their backs are against the wall.” Since assuming the role of Governor in June 2007, Iowa’s unemployment rate has steadily risen from 3.7 percent to 6.6 percent, more than 3,000 businesses have declared bankruptcy, and more than 66,000 Iowans have been added to the state’s ‘Food Stamps’ roster.

O'Malley burns through taxpayers' money like a rock star.

7. Martin O’Malley (D-Md.) – Maryland’s roadways have become Martin O’Malley’s private ATM machines since he rode anti-Bush sentiment to the Governor’s Mansion in 2006. Last year, O’Malley signed SB 277 in to law, prompting the installation of speeding cameras that nanny state bureaucrats expect to generate revenues in excess of $11 million annually by tricking and trapping motorists.

Don't take Deval Patrick's bait!

8. Deval Patrick (D -Mass.) – Thanks to a revenue-generating scheme incumbent Gov. Patrick signed in to law in 2009, even the those found ‘not guilty’ in traffic court must still pay a $25 fine. Maybe that explains why he recently said, “It’s a free country. I wish it weren’t.”

A.G. Cuomo receives Rev. Sharpton's blessing. We rest our case.

9. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.)– “Government in New York is too big, ineffective and expensive,” says Cuomo, the former secretary of the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) who “planted the seeds for the nation’s housing collapse.”

Ted enjoys a hefty helping of 'stimulus pie.'

10. Ted Strickland (D-Ohio) – While Gov. Strickland doesn’t trust Ohioans to borrow money from short-term lending companies, he has no problem spending $57 million in federal stimulus money on highway projects “that won’t begin for years.” So, citizens who need money in a pinch to feed their families and pay the bills can’t get “payday” advances, but Strickland can pig-out on his state’s share of the stimulus pie whenever and however he desires. Talk about your big government hypocrites!